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Alabama

ArDarius Stewart following Amari Cooper's NFL tips

Updated May 13, 2017 at 8:35 AM;Posted May 13, 2017 at 6:00 AM

ardarius stewart amari cooper.JPG

Alabama wide receivers, including ArDarius Stewart (13) and Amari Cooper (9), get ready for the next drill during practice on Nov. 6, 2013, at the Thomas-Drew Practice Facility in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
(Vasha Hunt/vhunt@al.com )

ArDarius Stewart and Amari Cooper were teammates for two seasons at Alabama. Now both are in the NFL. Cooper has been a Pro Bowl selection in each of his two seasons with the Oakland Raiders; Stewart participated in rookie minicamp last weekend with the New York Jets.

"I did catch a few tips from him," Stewart told Ethan Greenberg of the Jets' official web site during a locker room interview. "He was just telling me to learn that playbook. That's the biggest thing. Learn the playbook, get in, get the little things right, your alignments, your assignments and just get and play."

Stewart was a redshirt freshman in 2013, when Cooper caught 45 passes for 736 yards and four touchdowns. He was on the field the next season when Cooper exploded in a record-setting season, catching 124 passes for 1,727 yards and 16 touchdowns.

The Raiders selected Cooper with the fourth choice in the 2015 NFL Draft.

Stewart caught 12 passes for 149 yards in 2014, then had 63 catches for 700 yards and four touchdowns for Alabama's CFP national-championship team in 2015. He completed his Crimson Tide career with 54 receptions for 864 yards and eight touchdowns in 2016.

"They have a system, they have a program and they do things in a certain way," Stewart said. "Me coming to this program, it helped me a lot being at Alabama. They run things like NFL coaches do, so it pretty much gave me the upper hand."

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Before joining the Crimson Tide, Stewart was a three-time All-State selection for Fultondale -- in the athlete slot in 2010 and 2011 and at quarterback in 2012. He was the AWSA's Class 2A Back of the Year for the 2011 and 2012 seasons.

"I just want to come out and prove myself," Stewart said. "Being from a 2A school, from Birmingham, where not too many people make it out, this is an opportunity to do something great."